The couple made their first major public appearance together at the CMT Music Awards.
Chase Stokes couldn't help but fanboy during girlfriend Kelsea Ballerini's CMT Music Awards performance at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
The 30-year-old Outer Banks star was spotted dancing and singing along to Ballerini's "If You Go Down (I'm Goin' Down Too)" song during Sunday's awards ceremony. In a video shared on Instagram by CMT, Stokes was all smiles while lip-syncing and shaking his hips to the beat. Ever the proud boyfriend, Stokes even whipped out his phone to record some of the show.
Ballerini's colorful, '60s-inspired performance served as a bold rejection of Tennessee's drag ban, featuring a group of drag queens as her backup dancers. The 29-year-old country star capped her performance off with flurry of confetti and rainbow stage lights, telling ET, "I love performance and I love self-expression and I love inclusivity."
Ballerini and Stokes shared highlights from their big night out on their respective Instagram Stories, including a video of their red carpet debut. Sunday's celebration marked the couple's first major public appearance together.
Ballerini and Stokes have been linked since January, and she later confirmed their romance on the Call Her Daddy podcast. A source told ET last month, "Kelsea is focusing on the good things in her life and her relationship with Chase" after her highly publicized split from husband Morgan Evans.
"They're having a great time together," the source said of Ballerini and Stokes. "Chase has been super supportive of her, and they are there for each other both professionally and in their personal lives."
Ballerini -- who also served as the CMT Music Awards co-host alongside Kane Brown -- dedicated the broadcast to the victim's of last week's Nashville school shooting, issuing a call to "real action" for finding a solution to the growing epidemic of gun violence. On her Instagram Story, she called the moment "the most important thing I'll do tonight."
After the show, Ballerini and Stokes partied well into the night. The duo was spotted out at the Thompson Hotel rooftop bar, dancing, hugging, and holding tight to each other. They chatted with Brown and his wife, Katelyn, as well as Stokes' Outer Banks co-stars, Madison Bailey, Charles Esten and his wife, Patty, and were among the last to leave the festivities around 3 a.m.
On Monday morning, Ballerini shared a snuggled-up selfie with Stokes on her Instagram story and joked that they "hard launched" their relationship.
The 2023 CMT Music Awards aired live on CBS and is streaming on Paramount+. For more coverage of the big event, including all of the night's winners, keep checking back with ETonline.
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